If temperature continues to rise, the famous strawberries farms in Cameron Highlands would disappear, warns Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands (REACH) committee member, Roy Margaret.
Speaking to NST, Roy said global warming affects not only the size of the strawberries but also the types of crops. He shared that the minimum temperature in Cameron Highlands has increased by 7.5°C over the past three decades.
“The size of the strawberries has already been affected and they will be much smaller in the future,” he said.
“I won’t be surprised if strawberries disappear from Cameron Highlands one day. When the weather becomes hotter like in the lowlands, the types of crops here will also change.”
Roy then cited uncontrolled deforestation as the main reason for global warming.
“Forests help regulate the temperature. However, uncontrolled land clearing would lead to soaring temperatures, not to mention other environmental damage, such as floods and landslides, which are already happening,” he said.
Meanwhile, Angela Marina Hoon, who is a tour guide with 38 years of experience, shared that people had never needed to use fans or any cooling system there. However, the rising temperature had forced some resorts to install air conditioners in their rooms.
“It used to be so cold here that going to Cameron Highlands was like visiting any cold European country.
“Nowadays, some visitors even ask if the hotel has fans installed in the rooms,” she said.
Hoon claimed that the unregulated traffic and increase in the number of vehicles in Cameron Highlands resulted in greenhouse emissions.
“We can see many vehicles even on weekdays, and traffic congestion in some parts of Cameron Highlands is now very common. Can you imagine how much greenhouse gas comes from running engines?” she asked.
Meanwhile, K Kaliyanna, tour guide, claimed that it was the overdevelopment in Cameron Highlands that have negatively impact the environment there.
“We need to strike a balance between development in agriculture and preserving nature. What is tourism without the flora and fauna that Cameron Highlands is known for?” she said.
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 committee member, Roy Margaret.){kind=link}